Heterogeneity in populations from subcutaneous abdominal and thigh adipose tissues of women

Women with a ‘pear-shaped’ fat distribution are at lower risk to develop insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, but the mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. The objective of this study was to determine if the adipose cell populations differed between abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (ASAT) and lower body thigh (TSAT) adipose tissue of clinically healthy, premenopausal women with body mass indices (BMI) in the non-obese to obese range. Paired samples of A- and T- SAT were taken under local lidocaine anaesthesia and quick frozen in lquid nitrogen. Single nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNASeq) was used to identify and major cell populations and their subsclusters. We found differences in subcluster cell numbers and identified differentially expressed genestthat may contribute to depot differences in metabolism as well as expansion and homeostatic remodeling capacities through cell cell communucation. These variations likely contribute to protective effect of lower body fat on metabolic health and T2D risk.